Steve,
Perhaps you could tell us something of the mindset by the PDGA to TRY to make us pay to view Worlds. I can't for the life of me figure how anyone thought this was a good idea, particularly after the poor web service we have all been receiving until recently. Was this a PDGA production? Seems the production and PDGA have a lot in common....
Next year I'll trade - the PDGA can keep the marginal magazine and let me see the one event of the year I'd like to.
After 10+ years as a member I'm beginning to wonder if the BSF is the ONLY reason to join each year. It is the only one I could come up with.
Sure, charge non-members to see Worlds, but PDGA membership should have SOME worthwhile benefit for ALL members.
I'm more confused then ever about what the PDGA is TRULY doing for its membership.

(Annoyed, but happy to listen to reason.)

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Steve,
Perhaps you could tell us something of the mindset by the PDGA to TRY to make us pay to view Worlds. I can't for the life of me figure how anyone thought this was a good idea, particularly after the poor web service we have all been receiving until recently. Was this a PDGA production? Seems the production and PDGA have a lot in common....
Next year I'll trade - the PDGA can keep the marginal magazine and let me see the one event of the year I'd like to.
After 10+ years as a member I'm beginning to wonder if the BSF is the ONLY reason to join each year. It is the only one I could come up with.
Sure, charge non-members to see Worlds, but PDGA membership should have SOME worthwhile benefit for ALL members.
I'm more confused then ever about what the PDGA is TRULY doing for its membership.

(Annoyed, but happy to listen to reason.)

I have the same thought...often about my own membership in my association. There seems to be no benefits except it provides money for the courses (as far as the local organizations) but that hardly seems enough when plenty of people play without paying. I feel like a sucker at time with both my group and the PDGA. I echo your concern.

"When a ball dreams, it dreams it is a frisbee."

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This is really not that hard to figure out. DGP tried the business model of giving away the product and asking for donations. That model didn't work. They had two choices: Stop broadcasting, or charge a fee.

Is $8 really that big of a deal? Where else are you going to see live disc golf coverage?

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A response from someone that works for the PDGA is what I was hoping for.

Who is DGP? (Meaning the people paid behind the company.)
Why do they look like the face of the PDGA? Who are they working for? DGP or the PDGA?
By paying $8 am I paying PDGA staff to do a second job when I've already paid my PDGA dues so a select few folks can be at events? There's a bit of crossover I'm unclear about.
So it's not just $8, it feels like $58.
As I said, I'm a 10+ yr supporter of the PDGA... but I'm beginning to wonder who is benefiting from the monies sent to the PDGA and DGP. Is it the local PDGA member or a select few folks.

It really isn't that hard to figure out.

Also, TV was free for over 50 years. Commercials paid for production and airing. That business model worked well.

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The only problem with commercials paying for broadcasts is you have to have the audience to attract advertisers. The only businesses disc golf can attract right now are disc golf companies, and they don't have that much money for advertising.

So maybe in the future, once the audience for live disc golf broadcast, it can attract bigger advertisers and be supported solely by commercials.

I will also say that I have no problem paying the $8 to watch the coverage all week. Sure there have been technical difficulties, but they are broadcasting live from withing a forest, so it's to be expected. It's a huge step from 4 years ago and in the next four years, who knows, maybe it will be commercial driven, but I think supporting discgolfplanet now will result in free broadcasts sooner.

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I think Steve is the wrong person to ask about general PDGA information and this is probably not the best thread to ask these questions.

In regards to the $8 to watch the Disc Golf Planet show, I think it is shite. I paid for a membership viewing it as startup fees. Then I made an assumption (I know about assumptions) that the website would do like most broadcasters do and solicit advertising to pay the cost of the broadcast. Further the quality of the broadcast is severly lacking. I think for what they are doing and how they are doing it, they are doing the best they can. If you want to charge me beyond my annual membership and give me the same quality of coverage you always have why should I pay for a PPV event no matter how much.

Not everyone is content just to see disc golf live. Some people believe in value of what they get and are not seeing the value in the additional cost. There are sheep and there are those that ask questions, I like to ask questions and so do others here.

"Love is not primarily a relationship to a specific person. Love is an attitude, an ordination of character which determines the relatedness of the person to the whole world as a whole, not toward one object of love.”

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Steve,
Perhaps you could tell us something of the mindset by the PDGA to TRY to make us pay to view Worlds. I can't for the life of me figure how anyone thought this was a good idea, particularly after the poor web service we have all been receiving until recently. Was this a PDGA production? Seems the production and PDGA have a lot in common....
Next year I'll trade - the PDGA can keep the marginal magazine and let me see the one event of the year I'd like to.
After 10+ years as a member I'm beginning to wonder if the BSF is the ONLY reason to join each year. It is the only one I could come up with.
Sure, charge non-members to see Worlds, but PDGA membership should have SOME worthwhile benefit for ALL members.
I'm more confused then ever about what the PDGA is TRULY doing for its membership.

(Annoyed, but happy to listen to reason.)

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I am pretty sure that the PDGA and DGP.TV are completely separate entities. The PDGA is a founding sponsor of DGP but that is it. It is NOT Steve's job at all to improve their broadcast quality.

I do agree that the video quality could have been better but come on people, this is groundbreaking stuff, we had a LIVE broadcast of the World Championships for a week straight! Do you think THIS can be done for free?. To expect these people to sustain all of their costs, let alone pay their staff, on a $25 lifetime membership is ridiculous. I am sure as the sport continues to grow, and more money is pumped into revenue from advertising, things will continue to improve. The TV advertising model as somebody else pointed out just doesn't work until you have hundreds of thousands of people tuning in. Until then, the bills have to be paid some how. Unfortunately, $8, which is hardly anything to some, is apparently more to others. Let's think about it... Drink ONE less 6-pack/bottle of wine/pint of Jack this week. Oh wow, I'm rich!!!

In the meantime I think we should all be happy with the blessings that technology has brought us. Sure it is not 1080p HiDef *YET*, but I still got to watch the best disc golf on the planet played LIVE from across the country. And for that, I salute you guys.

-

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I have the same thought...often about my own membership in my association. There seems to be no benefits except it provides money for the courses (as far as the local organizations) but that hardly seems enough when plenty of people play without paying. I feel like a sucker at time with both my group and the PDGA. I echo your concern.

NO benefit to being a member of your local club because "plenty of people play without paying"?

Friend, I don't know what club you feel suckered by, but paying $10 a year or whatever your club fee is, is well worth it to be not counted among the people who don't do sh*t except complain and take from your local scene.

There are people doing stuff to promote disc golf, events, and course development, and then there's everybody else running their mouths complaining. Paying a club membership fee is the bare minimum you can do to not just be a nother sh*t talking taker in the disc golf community.

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You know its easy to be critical of anything that someone else is doing. The extra $7.95 was well worth it for me to support DGPTV and to be a part of this ground breaking exposure for our great sport. These productions cost a lot of money and I got to watch a lot of great golf. I have no complaints, I got my moneys worth. Cheap entertaiment if you ask me...

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You know its easy to be critical of anything that someone else is doing. The extra $7.95 was well worth it for me to support DGPTV and to be a part of this ground breaking exposure for our great sport. These productions cost a lot of money and I got to watch a lot of great golf. I have no complaints, I got my moneys worth. Cheap entertaiment if you ask me...

What is ground breaking about dedicated coverage to an emmerging sport?

And are you saying that people who pay a lifetime membership are not supporting Discgolf Planet enough?

I have a legitimate question, did non-members have to pay the pay per view price and the lifetime membership price?

"Love is not primarily a relationship to a specific person. Love is an attitude, an ordination of character which determines the relatedness of the person to the whole world as a whole, not toward one object of love.”

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I think it was a very bad idea for the DG Planet guys to EVER imply that we would get a lifetime of coverage in the first place, and I think that is the main beef most people have with this deal. If they had simply made it $5-$10 per event or something then people could have made their decision based on that. I would pay that much per event, but I definitely think we were sold a bill of goods that was not delivered as advertised.

With that said, I'm going to put it behind me as the growing pains of a young organization, as opposed to outright maliciousness. If you like the coverage (perfect or not) then subscribe, if not... don't. It's pretty simple really.

"You won't like me when I am angry, because I always back up my rage with facts and documented sources". - The Credible Hulk

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Jason if you have been playing disc golf for as long as I have and had to wait until it was your turn to borrow or get a copy of someones grainy vhs tape from some tourney years ago or months ago, I think this is pretty ground breaking. Thats just my perspective. I have been listening to the "emerging sport" talk for over 25 years already. In NO WAY am I suggesting or downgrading anyones support by ONLY buying a lifetime membership, like I said in the start I was taken back at first as well with the additional cost for the worlds. I just choose not to be bitter and move on to live another day without resentment surrounding this whole thing. You have every right to voice your own opinion and I applaud you for asking the questions and putting it out there so to speak.

QUOTE=Jason Philips;124353]What is ground breaking about dedicated coverage to an emmerging sport?

And are you saying that people who pay a lifetime membership are not supporting Discgolf Planet enough?

I have a legitimate question, did non-members have to pay the pay per view price and the lifetime membership price?[/QUOTE]

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I thought the two girls one cup phenomenom was groundbreaking but that is only because it was so widespread. I think even my grandmother knew about it.

Currently you can find all kinds of live broadcasts on the web. I don't even have to attend Burning Man anymore. I can watch it from the web. The broadcast capability is probably groundbreaking but not the actual broadcast of disc golf. I'd call groundbreaking showing the championship on ESPN. That would be groundbreaking. I wonder if we spend time fostering just another web show (How it is likely viewed by many) will we ever devote time to getting coverage by major networks. Is there a marketing team at the PDGA that focuses on just such a thing? (I honestly don't know).

"Love is not primarily a relationship to a specific person. Love is an attitude, an ordination of character which determines the relatedness of the person to the whole world as a whole, not toward one object of love.”